Current and Future Population Health Challenges
From the information obtained from the Middleborough community, the health challenges that the Hillsborough County Home Health Agency might face in the next ten years is the inability to satisfy the demand for health services due to a higher rate of population growth than the healthcare facilities. Besides, going by the current trend in lifestyle-related ailments, it is likely that the community will experience a higher prevalence rate of these lifestyle ailments such as high blood pressure considering the increasing number of patients being screened from 6,838 in the year 2010 to 7,456 in 2014.
Besides, going by the current trend in wellness programs being promoted in the community, there might be challenges in execution in the next ten years due to changing focus from promotion to prevention approach in healthcare service delivery. Although the population growth rate is predictable within this community, the current efforts and future plans of satisfying the demand do not seem realistic, especially among the African American community, that has far much lesser nurse to patient ratio (1:340) allocated by the Middleborough community healthcare program.
The changing dynamics of home-based care with the support of Medicare and Medicaid might not be sufficient considering the ever-rising cost of healthcare provision, especially as the population ages. This means that the community healthcare management board might face financial constraints in balancing the healthcare needs of the community within the region of Middleborough, if little is done to promote public-private healthcare delivery partnerships, in a way that would not create a disparity in promotion and execution of different wellness programs. Despite the existence of funding allocated by the local and governmental authorities, the current healthcare demand supersedes the financial allocation, which is $2,166,692.
If this trend persists in the long-term, the current and future wellness programs will have to be reduced, especially the senior clinic. This will affect the vital wellness services such as the Telehealth Program, Maternal, and Child Health Program, High Blood Pressure Program, Health Activities Program, Senior Health, and Head Lice, which are currently undeveloped.
Although there are local and state funds available for promotion of healthcare delivery within the Middleborough community, the current decision by the Hillsborough County Home Health Agency not to merge with a local hospice might have detrimental effects in the long-term, since the environment of healthcare delivery is very dynamic and needs a proactive corporation with other stakeholders. At present, there is no Medicare-certified hospice within the county of Middleborough, despite the high population that might need different Medicare services. Besides, the allocation of fewer than one million dollars might not be efficient.
Proposed Approach to Addressing these Challenges
From the research on population health in Middleborough, there is a need for the Hillsborough County Home Health Agency to improve on the current wellness programs and be more proactive and strategic in planning and execution of the programs, especially in the senior clinic and managing lifestyle ailments. The primary aim of the proposed improvement is to expand the current wellness and community healthcare programs to satisfy not only the current demand, but also future expectation after factoring in population growth in the next ten years and beyond.
Basically, the proposed wellness program expansion will endeavor to create a sustainable balance in the mental, intellectual, environmental, and physical elements of health within Middleborough. This will be achieved through the integration of different health education and direct interventions.
Health education refers to the occupation of offering educational services to a community on issues related to health and well being. Among the main areas that will be included in health education are social health, environmental health, intellectual health, and physical health, among others. Health education, in the case of the Middleborough community, will promote positive behavior for the restoration and maintenance of health.
This health promotion model will be critical in facilitating the achievement of high and desirable levels of well-being. In relation to the intervention plan for reducing the effects of lifestyle ailments in the future, the proposed health promotion model will have elements that directly encourage positive behavior change. The underlying goal will be assisting the current patients and other family members to change behavior as part of fighting exposure as part of the other programs.
The plan will also offer alternatives that the patients may exploit to pursue ideal health. This model operates on the assumption that the targeted population consisting of adults within the community is proactive in controlling their own behavior and working to effectively improve the wellness and general environment. In the wellness promotion, the model may be applied in modifying and altering past behaviors, building confidence, and strategic support to the initiatives that aim at offering ideal wellness. The plan will also target the aged members of the community, who are currently at risk of catalyzing the occurrence of these lifestyle ailments. This may be achieved through a mixture of physical, psychological, and lifestyle health education.
Specifically, the proposed approach will create independent and well organized Telehealth Program, Maternal and Child Health Program, High Blood Pressure Program, Health Activities Program, Senior Health, and Head Lice to ensure that the current challenges in healthcare promotion are addressed. There is a need to establish a social trust for providing medical services to the poor at subsidized costs within the average income of households in the community as a strategy for filling the current funding deficit in servicing the above programs. This will be achieved through public-private partnerships with interested stakeholders such as social service providers, government organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the business community.
The lack of capacity has made health care accessibility a challenge within the assessment community. Through private-public partnerships, the center should introduce stronger programs and structures within the youth, aged, and social centers to offer wellness services to the community. This will go a long way in emotional needs for those suffering from different medical concerns. Therefore, there is a need to establish a volunteer program besides other wellness programs to ensure that home-based healthcare service delivery is not only effective but also expansive in reaching out to all the targeted clients.
The evaluation plan for the intervention will be carried out through a direct nurse-patient contact to boost acceptance and effectiveness. The evaluation process will commence from the beginning of the program through to its completion for each client. The main outputs will be categorized within the parameters of self improvement in terms of physical functioning and augmented health performance.
In order to successfully implement the proposed intervention programs for the identified health concerns within the Middleborough community, the main resources needed include community assessment data, relevant nursing support kit, authority consent document, and human volunteer personnel. The topics to be discussed include prevalence of the identified health concerns, effective home-base strategies, relevant emotional and physical support, and success measurement mechanisms. These resources will be significant in planning, execution, and assessment of the proposed intervention programs for the Middleborough community.
Partnership Arrangements
In order to execute the above recommendations, there is need to create a strategic partnership link with the private stakeholders, government agencies, and the local agencies such as the local Medicare hospice. The primary aim of the private-public partnership in the promotion of wellness programs within the Middleborough community is to better service delivery. Specifically, in order to make the above recommendations successful, the board should partner with the government agencies such as the agents of Medicare and Medicaid to ensure that financial support available is not only efficient but also sustainable in the long run.
Besides, the board might partner will local businesses and private individuals to raise more funds to support some of the proposed programs. In addition, the board may partner will private hospice groups as a fertile ground for recruiting volunteers that might help in the implementation of the proposed program, especially at the home-based care level.
Through these partnerships, the healthcare board for the Middleborough community will not only be in a position to easily track progress of the proposed programs but also guarantee full support from the stakeholders. For instance, the public-private partnership might promote acceptance of the activities of the Hillsborough County Home Health Agency within the Middleborough community. As a result, the community will be in a position to access more programs at their convenience and at subsidized rates.
Optimizing Healthcare Delivery
The proposed strategy will increase the visibility and accessibility of different wellness promotion programs offered by the Hillsborough County Home Health Agency to members of the Middleborough community. Besides, the preventive approach to healthcare delivery proposed at the Hillsborough County Home Health Agency will facilitate behavioral change and improve the general wellbeing of the targeted population. Thus, funding, volunteers, and public-private partnerships will avail adequate resources for sustainable wellness intervention programs for the Middleborough community members.